In One Deep Breath this week we are asked to get close, closer and still closer in the observations in our haiku. This weekend I was visiting my parents in Worsley, near Manchester. We had a walk by the red Bridgewater Canal. These are my three haiku, which really call out for photos too, but we had forgotten our camera and my parents don't have a digital!
the red canal
flows through the village -
four swans.
two young swans
with plumage speckled grey -
historic bridge.
water droplets
sparkle on the swans' backs -
rainbows.
Monday, 4 December 2006
Tuesday, 28 November 2006
Creative Writing Tutoring
I'm very excited to have been accepted as a creative writing tutor for The City of Edinburgh Council. I was originally accepted a couple of weeks ago as a 'supply tutor' but have been offered two full courses to tutor next term - one class of creative writing workshops and one on blogging for beginners. I'll post more details as they are confirmed, just in case any readers in Edinburgh know anyone who may be interested.
Monday, 27 November 2006
Sunday, 26 November 2006
Notebooks
This notebook is made from good quality scrap card from the office, scap paper from the office, a photo from a magazine and a belt from a skirt! I've made a couple of other notebooks from similar materials, sometimes substituting old shoelaces or reused parcel ribbon for the belt. Once the notebook is used up, it can be refilled with scrap paper cut to the right size.
Thursday, 23 November 2006
Poetry Live
Poetry Readings are a great way to experience poetry. Hearing a poet live can and should add to the experience of the poetry. If you’re a poet yourself it’s a great way of meeting more poets and developing an audience for your work.
The poet who I most like to hear live is Ruth Padel, she has an electrifying stage presence and brings her work to life with great passion. She's also very much an environmentalist too, which of course appeals to me. I really enjoyed Sharon Olds reading recently at the Scottish Poetry Library, she has a very matter of fact delivery and a great confidence in public reading (I wrote a mini-review of the evening on my other blog Alter Ego). This makes a huge difference, some poets hide behind their books when they are reading and the words are all lost in their chins and the audience feels no sense of engagement. I know from experience how nerve wracking it can be to read your work in public, but once you have a certain level of recognition, you are expected to give performances and you might as well learn to do it with style and at least a pretence of confidence!
I'm not well recognised enough to be expected to give readings. I actually choose to do it for fun! (?) My readings have almost all been in performance poetry venues (though I don't think of myself as a performance poet!) rather than in literary venues. There are some excellent performance poets in Edinburgh and there used to be some excellent caberet nights for poets and musicians (I used to love performing at Kin, which was a low key cabaret night and Silencio was interesting too, an evening of glamour and surreal entertainment that somehow never quite lived up to expectation while at the same time always providing a very daunting audience to read to! Neither of these nights exist anymore and Big Word Poetry is too aggressive for me, though it can be credited with kickstarting the whole performance poetry scene in Edinburgh).
The poet who I most like to hear live is Ruth Padel, she has an electrifying stage presence and brings her work to life with great passion. She's also very much an environmentalist too, which of course appeals to me. I really enjoyed Sharon Olds reading recently at the Scottish Poetry Library, she has a very matter of fact delivery and a great confidence in public reading (I wrote a mini-review of the evening on my other blog Alter Ego). This makes a huge difference, some poets hide behind their books when they are reading and the words are all lost in their chins and the audience feels no sense of engagement. I know from experience how nerve wracking it can be to read your work in public, but once you have a certain level of recognition, you are expected to give performances and you might as well learn to do it with style and at least a pretence of confidence!
I'm not well recognised enough to be expected to give readings. I actually choose to do it for fun! (?) My readings have almost all been in performance poetry venues (though I don't think of myself as a performance poet!) rather than in literary venues. There are some excellent performance poets in Edinburgh and there used to be some excellent caberet nights for poets and musicians (I used to love performing at Kin, which was a low key cabaret night and Silencio was interesting too, an evening of glamour and surreal entertainment that somehow never quite lived up to expectation while at the same time always providing a very daunting audience to read to! Neither of these nights exist anymore and Big Word Poetry is too aggressive for me, though it can be credited with kickstarting the whole performance poetry scene in Edinburgh).
Maybe Edinburgh is strange in having two distinct poetry communities - the literary circuit (eg the Scottish Poetry Library, Poetry Association Scotland) where you have to have a serious track record of published work before you're invited to read and then the performance poetry world where you can often just turn up and read, though its dominated by loud aggressive comedy poets who perform their work usually without a book in sight. There are a couple of in between events. Is there this kind of distinction elsewhere?
Thoughts on Poetry Readings for Poetry Thursday.
Monday, 20 November 2006
Autumnal haiku - senses
Sweet cherries
hang ripe on the trees -
free snacks!
bonfire smoke
rises from the garden -
sharp frost.
a robin perches
on a bare branched tree –
sunrise.
a robin sings
a melancholy song -
first snow fall
autumn wind -
the roughness of falling leaves
brushes my hair
Senses for One Deep Breath
hang ripe on the trees -
free snacks!
bonfire smoke
rises from the garden -
sharp frost.
a robin perches
on a bare branched tree –
sunrise.
a robin sings
a melancholy song -
first snow fall
autumn wind -
the roughness of falling leaves
brushes my hair
More haiku on the senses on my Alter Ego blog.
Senses for One Deep Breath
Thursday, 16 November 2006
This Train
This train does not exist, or
if it does, it does not pass
through major towns or cities.
This train carries only cargo that is safe
or if not safe, unlikely to
explode or give off noxious fumes.
This train does not interest terrorists
and if it does, they cannot damage it
as it is impregnable.
This train is not an embarrassment
to the government, is not illegal,
does not glow in the dark.
This train does not pass
the end of your street.
If you live in the UK, you can find out whether nuclear waste is transported by train through your neighbourhood here.
This poem was slightly influenced by Woody Guthrie's song This Train is Bound for Glory, the lyrics for which are here.
Telling lies for Poetry Thursday.
if it does, it does not pass
through major towns or cities.
This train carries only cargo that is safe
or if not safe, unlikely to
explode or give off noxious fumes.
This train does not interest terrorists
and if it does, they cannot damage it
as it is impregnable.
This train is not an embarrassment
to the government, is not illegal,
does not glow in the dark.
This train does not pass
the end of your street.
If you live in the UK, you can find out whether nuclear waste is transported by train through your neighbourhood here.
This poem was slightly influenced by Woody Guthrie's song This Train is Bound for Glory, the lyrics for which are here.
Telling lies for Poetry Thursday.
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